Take Life By The Horns
by goldgirlbomb
Summary: Molly and Nathan are living together happily in their cabin. Nathan's restaurant in town is a success, and Molly's pregnancy is going beautifully. As Molly's pregnancy clock begins ticking, what will happen when someone from Molly's past comes back to haunt her? Sequel to "The Road Ahead"
1. Chapter 1

"I'm home!" Nathan called out as he walked in the front door. He'd been busy all day at the restaurant back in town, and was getting home later than normal as a result. His restaurant was a pretty decent success in town, and was usually quite busy from the time it opened until the time it closed. Especially now that it was around the winter holidays, the restaurant was packed almost all day now. The colder it got there, the more people there were in the restaurant. Today, he'd managed to sneak some food home for him and Molly so they wouldn't have to worry about cooking that night. He had the parcel tucked neatly underneath one arm as he closed the door behind him.

Nathan shuffled through their mail, which he'd picked up from the post office on the way back home. Lowering his coat down off his shoulders, he tossed it aside as he sorted through their mail. Nothing new, a few letters from Nero, a few letters from friends Molly had back in Yamato, and one letter from someone whose name Nathan didn't recognize. It was addressed to Molly, so as he walked into the kitchen, he tossed her portion of the mail in its usual spot and leaned against the counter. He tossed the parcel under his arm up on the counter and quickly eyed one of the letters from Nero. He often sent Nathan letters letting him know where he was, and this one particular letter was addressed from at least half way around the world. Nathan laughed to himself, Nero certainly traveled a lot.

"Molly?" He called out again.

"I'm in the bedroom!" Molly answered, her voice echoing through the house. Nathan slowly lifted himself from leaning against the counter and headed towards their bedroom. Opening the door, he leaned against the doorframe, watching Molly who was folding laundry delicately on the bed. Nathan couldn't help but smile as Molly looked up at him, smiling back. She was about halfway through her pregnancy, and was showing a good bit. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, leaning forward and crushing his mouth to hers. She giggled against his hungry lips, and threw her arms around his neck. Her swollen belly prevented them from getting too close, but Nathan didn't care. He pressed another quick kiss to her lips before kneeling down in front of her belly. Molly giggled again as he pressed his ear up to her belly and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hey there." He whispered. He waited a moment before he smiled, feeling the answering kick to his voice.

"Easy in there tiger. Cut your poor mom some slack here." He said, winking up at Molly.

"Gets more and more active by the day." She said, rubbing the top of Nathan's head as he continued to press his face against her belly. He remained there, motionless, for another few moments.

Ever since Molly had told him she was pregnant, it became a regular event each evening when Nathan came home from work. He told her that he wanted the baby to know what his voice sounded like when it came out. He was determined it was a girl, and told her so almost daily. Molly, however, had a feeling that it was a boy. Nathan stood back up and walked into the kitchen, hand in hand, with Molly. He walked over to the parcel he'd tossed onto the counter and opened it, letting the sweet smells from inside fill the air. Molly was extremely sensitive to smell recently, so the moment he opened the package, she sniffed the air, smiling.

She licked her lips. "That smells divine. What is it?"

He laughed as he turned around to grab two plates from the cabinet. "A new dish one of my newer chefs was trying out. Some sort of chicken with goat cheese or something. I know how much you like cheese recently, so I figured you'd appreciate it."

Molly grabbed some silverware. "You were right." Nathan began scooping the contents out of the parcel and onto their plates as Molly went over to quickly look over her pile of mail. She sorted through her stack and upon seeing the last letter, she tossed it into the trash can without so much as a second glance.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Who was that one from? I didn't recognize the name."

Molly smiled, grabbing her plate happily. "No one. Someone from Yamato I don't really care to talk to. And by the way, have I mentioned just how wonderful of a husband you are for bringing this home for me?"

Nathan smirked at her, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "You probably have, but I like hearing you say it just the same."

The two walked into the dining room and sat across from one another, enjoying their meal together. Molly made sounds of delight as she began devouring her portion, and Nathan couldn't help but stop and watch her. Her appetite had grown considerably over the last few months, and when she ate, she acted as if she hadn't eaten for weeks. Nathan thought it was cute, and laughed quietly as he went back to his own food. In the last few weeks she'd started to crave cheese and certain milk products, but the weeks following up to that she'd craved things such as sweets. Those changed every so often, Nathan had noted, but always tried to keep up with them. Because it was always handy to know when she woke up at four in the morning hungry and he had to run into town to grab something. Not that he minded in the least. He'd go to the moon to get something for her if she wanted it.

"How's the clinic?" Nathan asked. Molly still worked with Christopher and Thomas at Christopher's clinic down the street. She'd insisted that she was going to continue working there until she couldn't anymore because of the baby, so Nathan hadn't pushed. He knew how much she liked working, and having something to do while he was gone, so he was glad it was at least with people he trusted.

She nodded. "Good. It was pretty slow today, but it'll probably pick up tomorrow. You still have to work late tomorrow?"

"Sadly yes." He replied. Nathan's restaurant was staying open late the following day due to the fact that it would be closing that Friday. Nathan had wanted to spend a long weekend with Molly, so he'd arranged it so the restaurant was able to close on Friday, which meant he had to keep it open later than usual for the next two days.

"What did you want to do for the weekend?"

Nathan shrugged. "We could stay in bed all day for all I care. As long as I get to spend some time with you."

Molly raised her eyebrow, smiling. "Stay in bed huh?" Nathan looked up at her, confused for a moment until she waggled her eyebrows at him.

Nathan chuckled. "That wasn't what I meant, but if that's what you'd like, I could arrange that."

He stood up and grabbed his plate, collecting hers while she went to push her chair back. He quickly went back into the kitchen and began rinsing their plates. Molly cleared the table and threw the leftovers into the trash can. Molly looked out the window and smiled, seeing as the first snow of the year began to fall As Nathan rinsed the last dish, and went to wipe his hands dry, Molly grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the front door.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

She tossed his coat at him, and went to slide hers on. "Outside. It's snowing." Nathan grinned as he grabbed her hat from the counter and slide it down over her ears. Russell had gotten it for her as a present a few months ago, for the colder weather, and it really suited her. She grinned up at him as he placed a quick kiss on her nose before opening the front door.

The snow was just beginning to gloss the ground, but was starting to come down in flurries. Molly twirled around slowly as she looked up at the sky. She held her hands out and watched as the flakes melted on her warm skin. Nathan leaned against the door frame of the front door as he watched her. He smiled as she stuck her tongue out, letting the tiny snowflakes land on her tongue. Looking over at him, she motioned for him to join her. Laughing, he walked over and shyly stuck his tongue out.

"That's not how you do it!" Molly teased him, shoving him playfully.

"How do you do it then?"

She jutted her tongue out further than he'd done. "Like this!" Rolling his eyes playfully, he stuck his tongue out, laughing as he felt the flakes melting against him.

Molly brought her tongue back in her mouth and crept away as Nathan continued to stare up into the sky, his tongue stuck out. She gathered as much of the snow off the ground as she could and patted it into a ball. It wasn't very large, as there still wasn't much snow, but it was enough. Tossing it into the air, it landed square on Nathan's shoulder. He jumped in surprise, and looked in her direction. She tried to give him her most innocent look, but as he smiled at her, he ran over and the two gently teased each other in the snow. Molly squealed as Nathan grabbed her by her arms and lifted her up off the ground. He spun her around a few times before gently placing her back on the ground.

Molly laughed as she looked up at her husband, who was smiling down at her. She stood on her toes and kissed his lips. His lips were always so soft and warm, and despite how cold it was outside, she always melted. She pulled away from him, and he took a step towards the cabin. He held his hand out to her, and the two of them went back inside for the rest of the evening.


	2. Chapter 2

Molly busied herself at work at the clinic the next day. Business had picked up considerably that day, and Christopher needed all the help he could get. Although she was now limited in what she could do, she still could help relieve the flow of people coming in. While she wasn't trained as Christopher was, he had taught her a few things so she could now start to treat patients before Christopher came in. Thomas hurried around beside her, helping patients alongside her the best he could. Christopher had also taught him a few things, but not as much as Molly, so he followed her around to help her with things she could no longer do alone.

Nathan had to work late that evening, and the next evening in fact. He wanted to save some time to spend a long weekend with her at home. He'd been planning on it for at least two weeks, and he seemed extremely happy about it. Molly was as well. She missed not spending a lot of time with her husband, and she just as eagerly looked forward to their long weekend as he did. She'd already talked to Christopher about staying home that day, to which he'd told her to enjoy herself. And she would, she had determined. She had imagined the two of them cuddled down onto their couch, cup of hot coffee in hand, and warming themselves in front of their fireplace. Sounded like heaven to her. Although Nathan's other idea of them in bed, well, definitely sent shivers of excitement down her back.

The town's population had grown quite a bit since they'd last lived there. After James's attack, a lot of the townsfolk moved on to other places. But after a while, the population began to grow again, and was even starting to become quite large. The surplus of people had forced Christopher to expand his clinic, to which became one of the major clinics for a good distance. A lot of the newer residents started setting up business in town for the booming population, so the market was now much bigger than it used to be. Molly liked that, meant they didn't have to hike to the next town over to get supplies. Everything they needed was right there.

Molly did miss the sea from time to time, but as per their agreement, they only sailed on the Sirius during the warmer months. The minute it started getting colder, the crew had decided to dock the Sirius for the winter. Nathan had etched out a path for them to walk down to the beach, only a fifteen minute or so walk from their cabin. Molly often, whenever she had time off and Nathan was still at work, would just go out and sit on the beach. She loved the way the sand felt under her feet, and the feel of the ocean breeze against her face. Nothing beat that.

She briefly thought back on the letter she'd thrown into the trashcan the previous evening. Nathan hadn't asked her about it, and she was glad he hadn't. She'd been avoiding the letters ever since they'd started coming in about a month or so ago. They were persistent, she'd give them that, but she refused to even open a single one. The minute she'd read the sender, on the first letter she'd received, she'd instantly thrown it away. Nathan had asked her if she was alright, and she'd of course told him it was nothing. But it wasn't. She probably should have told him, but she just hadn't wanted to worry him. Shaking her head, she cleared her mind and went back to work.

"Christopher, do you need a hand with your patient in room B?" Molly called out as she walked down the hall, chart in hand.

Christopher shook his head as he wrote something down. "No, thanks though. If you'll just finish up with Mrs. Huckbee in room D, I'd appreciate it. After that, you can go ahead and go on home."

"Are you sure?"

Christopher shrugged. "Yeah, go home and get some rest. You've earned it."

Molly smiled and walked down to room D. Mrs. Huckbee was one of the elderly ladies that had just moved there recently. Though she hadn't spent much time with her, Molly liked her. She was sweet, and always had something to talk about. Molly entered the room and gently closed the room behind her. All Mrs. Huckbee needed now was to give her a shot, and then she was free to leave.

"Hello Mrs. Huckbee. How are you today?" Molly asked, walking over to the counter to ready her supplies.

"Oh just fine dear. How are _you _doing?" Mrs. Huckbee beamed, nodding towards Molly's belly.

Molly smiled and turned, giving her belly a gentle rub as she walked over to Mrs. Huckbee with her things. "Doing just fine! Everything is going smoothly."

"How far along are you now dear?"

"About five months. Shouldn't be too terribly long now." Molly replied as she put the medicine in the syringe.

"Oh how exciting! Do you know what it is yet?"

Molly smiled. "No not yet, we want to be surprised. Nathan's determined it's a girl, but I think it's a boy. We'll only know when he or she comes out."

Mrs. Huckbee laughed. "Nathan's going to be a wonderful father."

"Yes, he is," Molly giggled as she cleaned the area on Mrs. Huckbee's arm and inserted the syringe, injecting the medicine quickly before taking the syringe back out and placing a bandage over it, "He talks to my belly just about every night now."

Mrs. Huckbee smiled, jumping down off the counter. "He's definitely going to be a wonderful father. My husband used to do that when I was pregnant with our children."

Molly walked Mrs. Huckbee to the door. "And I bet he's a wonderful father to them."

"Yes he is. He's a good man. Well anyway dear I must be off, you take care of yourself now, ya hear?"

Molly laughed as she ushered her down the hall and out the front door. "I will Mrs. Huckbee. You too!" Mrs. Huckbee walked through the door and shuffled outside, heading back towards town. Molly looked up at the clock, only four o'clock. She walked down to where Thomas and Christopher were, leaned up against a counter talking. She leaned up against the counter next to them and smiled.

Christopher grinned. "Alright Molly, you're free to go. You too Thomas. You guys have a good afternoon."

"Alright, thanks Christopher!" Molly called out as she turned and made her way towards the exit. She grabbed her coat and scarf and bundled herself warmly in them. Thomas followed after her and the two walked through the front doors together moments later.

"You want me to walk you home?" Thomas asked shyly.

Molly shook her head. "No, I'm alright but thanks Thomas. Have a good night!"

"You too!" He replied.

Molly turned and headed up the hill towards the cabin. It had snowed most of the night, and the ground was now covered in it. She pulled her coat closer to her body and carefully stepped around the patches of ice that had formed. She loved the snow though. She'd never really seen any growing up, as Yamato was a warmer area and wasn't prone to it, so she enjoyed it now. She smiled as she remembered how she'd made Nathan help her make a snow man the later last night when they both couldn't sleep. He might have just been doing it to humor her, but she had the sneaking suspicion that he was having fun as well. As she walked up the hill, she saw it still sitting there, it's branch arm waving out to greet her as she saw their cabin just up ahead.

Walking inside, she brushed off the cold and did a little dance to warm herself up. As she placed her coat on its hanger, she looked up at their clock. It was only half past four, and Nathan wouldn't be home until after 8. Well, at least she could get a few things done around the house while she was there. She began compiling a laundry list of things she wanted and needed to do as she pulled her scarf off, discarding it with her coat. She began scurrying around the house as she busied herself with some of the chores she'd just formulated.

She walked through the house and tossed discarded clothing items into the hamper. There wasn't enough for her to wash them, so she decided to do them the following day if she had time. By the time half past five rolled around, Molly had gotten a considerable about of her chores done. There was only a few things she had left that she wanted to do, and then she reserved to relaxing for the remainder of the evening. Though, she wouldn't tell Nathan she'd cleaned up a lot. He hated it when she did, complaining that she was overworking herself. It was nonsense to her, as she liked doing things around the house.

She began dusting off the mantle over the fireplace when she heard a knock at the door. Her hands were dirty from all the dust, so she wiped them on her pants as she made her way to the front door. She knocked some of her cleaning supplies away, as they were blocking the front door, and she turned the door knob. As she opened the door and saw the sole person standing before her, she let out an audible gasp, and her fingers clenched the door.

"Dad…"


	3. Chapter 3

"Dad…" Molly whispered, unsure of what exactly to make of the man standing in front of her. He certainly still looked the same since the last time she'd seen him a few years ago. His hair was grayer and was beginning to recede a little, and wrinkles tugged at his eyes, but other than that he was still the same. Although instead of snarling his face at her, as he used to do when she was younger, he smiled brightly at her. It was a look she was unused to, and it took her aback as she stared at him.

Her father waved. "Hey there Molly. Your old man is in town."

Still stunned, Molly continued to clench the door in her hand. "How…How did you find me?"

"Oh, you didn't think I wasn't going to ask around to find where my only daughter ran off to, did you?" He replied, stomping his boots, which were covered in ice and snow, on the ground. She continued to hid herself in the slight shadow the door cast on her body, as she didn't want him to see her pregnant belly. She had no idea why he was here, and why he'd suddenly shown up, but she knew she didn't want him anywhere near her unborn child.

"What are you doing here?" Molly asked, her tone changing.

"I just wanted to see you pumpkin. I haven't seen you in years, and I just happened to be in town."

Molly scoffed. "Just happened to be in town huh?"

"Yes. I'm doing a little business in town and when I found out you lived up here, I had to come and see you." He replied, his tone chipper as he continued to plaster a smile on his face.

When she didn't reply, he continued. "I've been writing some letters to you lately. I wasn't sure whether you had gotten them or not, because you never responded to them. But I just assumed that you hadn't, and decided to come on out and see you."

"What do you want?" Molly asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"What do you mean, I just wanted to see…"

"Cut the crap dad, you forget that I grew up with you. You don't give a shit about what happened to me, never did when I was little and still don't. What is it you're after?"

His demeanor changed immediately, the normal scowl he usually had on his face returning as he shuffled in the cold. "You gonna invite me in?"

"No I don't think I am. Now answer my question, what is it you're after this time?"

He narrowed his eyes at here. "You always were a mouthy little bitch. Alright. I need money, and I need it now."

Molly laughed. "Figures. What do you need it for now?"

"I'm in a rather tight spot with some people who loaned me some money before."

Molly shrugged. "Sorry, don't have any. You wasted your time. Now please leave." She went to close the door, but her father grabbed the handle and stepped menacingly towards her, preventing the door from closing. He was still as tall as she'd remembered, as he lumbered over her. He was almost as tall as Nathan, but not quite. His eyes continued to narrow down at her as he leaned in closer towards her. As she looked up at him, she remembered just how scary he could really be, without even having to touch her. Sure he'd like to beat her when he had nothing else better to do, but she could always handle that. It was this presence of terror that he would do from time to time, like he was doing now, that always seemed to snake its way around her and strike her fear chord hard.

"I need money pumpkin. And I need it now."

Molly glared up at him, not backing down. "Don't call me pumpkin first of all. And second, I don't have any. You're barking up the wrong tree."

He quickly reached up and grabbed her chin in his hands, squeezing it roughly. "Well, you'd better have some tomorrow when I come back. I'm in a tight spot, and I need it. So when I come back tomorrow, you'd better have something."

He released her chin with a thrust, causing her to step forward clumsily. Her body came into the sun light, out from the shadows. Terror instantly shook her again as her belly came forward, almost hitting his side as she steadied herself. His line of vision moved from her face, to the jutting belly protruding towards him.

His mouth twisted into an almost demonic looking smile as he looked back into her face. "So… what dumb bastard knocked you up?"

"That's none of your damned business." Molly snapped at him.

He chuckled at her as he stepped back out past the front door. "Well, if I were you, I'd come up with something before tomorrow. Your child and its father need you. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you pumpkin." The way in which he said the words made her stomach curl, and she swallowed thickly to suppress the bile that was rising in her throat. He turned on his heel and slowly walked down the hill, whistling all the while as if nothing had happened.

Molly slammed the door shut, locking the deadbolt at the top just to be sure. She leaned against the door and slid slowly to the ground as she began to sob. Tears streamed her face from the jarring reunion, and Molly rubbed a hand delicately over her belly. What was she going to do? Knowing her father, he'd show up right around the same time tomorrow, right when Nathan would be working. She couldn't tell Nathan. He'd completely freak out, blow things out of proportion, and could end up getting hurt by her father. She didn't want that, not at all. She knew her father well enough to know that if Nathan did show up and try to intervene, he would just get caught in his wrath. Nathan's side still bothered him from time to time from where he'd been stabbed. She didn't want any sort of harm to ever come to her husband again, all because she couldn't properly defend herself. She'd just gather some of the money she'd saved away, and give that to him. That would sate him for the time being.

Gathering herself, she picked herself up off the floor and walked towards the bathroom. Looking up at the clock, she knew Nathan would be heading home soon, and she didn't want him to see her like this. Closing the bathroom door behind her, she leaned against the sink. She took in a few deep breaths, and calmed herself. Looking up into the mirror, she saw herself staring back, her eyes puffy and red looking. She grabbed a cloth from the cabinet and ran some cool water over it, then pressed it against her face. She definitely didn't want Nathan to see her like that. She had no idea how just seeing her father and him threatening her like that had scared her more than the danger she'd been in with Nathan not too long ago, but it had.

Once she'd finally calmed down and her eyes were less red looking, she went into the bedroom. Stooping down on her knees, she reached under her and Nathan's bed and grabbed a small box. She'd saved away some money a while back, just in case they needed it. She pulled the money out and sat down on the bed, counting it out. It wasn't very much, but she hoped it would be enough for her father to take it and leave. And hopefully this time he would stay gone.

"I'm home!" She heard Nathan holler out from the other room.

She shoved the money back into the box quickly, and slid it under the bed. Pulling on her best smile, she walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where her husband now stood. She made her way over to him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her. He returned her embrace as he held up some mail, thumbing through it.

As he hugged her, he quickly placed the mail on the counter and tilted her head to look up at him. "Are you alright honey? You're shaking."

She nodded, smiling up at him. "Yeah, sorry, I'm probably just tired."

He kissed her forehead. "Did anything exciting happen today while I was gone?"

She shook her head, continuing to plaster a smile to her face. "No, not really."


	4. Chapter 4

The following day, Molly quietly went about her duties in the clinic. She busied herself with as many tasks as Christopher would allow her, to get her mind off of things. She knew her father would stop by later that day, and the thought of that made her stomach churn. The one thing she had to hand to him, he always had been a man of his word. He would be at the cabin not a hair later than he had been the day before. She scurried about in the clinic, barely talking to either Thomas or Christopher as she worked.

She chewed on her lip every time she passed by the clock and looked at it, seeing as the time just seemed to fly right by. Her nerves were eating at her so badly she was afraid that Christopher or Thomas would notice. She cursed at herself for worrying so much, and for being so afraid of this man, but she couldn't help it. Ever since she had been a child, she'd been afraid of him. Afraid of what he would do to her or her brothers whenever he had been in a bad mood. Afraid of what he would do to her friends if she'd told them what was going. Afraid of what he would to her mother if she tried to tell her to leave him. Even now, she wasn't afraid for herself or what he would do to her. She was afraid of what he would do to her child, or to Nathan.

She continued being pleasant with the patients she had, but her mind was other places. She walked around like a zombie, watching the minutes tick by. Waiting until she'd have to go home and face him. Usually by the end of the day, she was weary, dead on her feet. But as the clock struck out, Molly wished she could stay longer. But as patients left the building, and only she, Thomas, and Christopher remained, she knew she had to face the music sooner or later. Hopefully the money she had would be enough for him, and he'd just leave them alone.

"Molly, you mind coming over here for a minute?" Christopher asked her, as she was pulling on her coat to head home.

Molly nodded and walked over to where he was standing. "Yes?"

"I've been meaning to ask you this all day, but you've just been so busy that I haven't had a chance."

Molly swallowed. "What's that?"

"Yesterday, I saw this man walking down away from you and Nathan's cabin. I've never seen him around here before, and I was just curious who he was. Seeing as he was leaving your house."

Molly shrugged, licking her lips. "Just some door-to-door salesman. Came up to the door to try to sell me something, but I sent him away."

Christopher nodded. "Oh, alright. He just didn't look all too friendly, and I was just worried he was up there giving you a hard time or something. You know how some of these sales people can be."

Molly laughed nervously. "Yeah I know what you mean. Well, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." He said, waving at her as she headed out the door.

Her breath fogged in front of her face, as she stepped out into the cold. Bundling her clothes against her body, she made her way up to the cabin. The baby began kicking at her belly as she trudged through the snow, and she rubbed a hand over it. So as not to work herself into a tizzy, she began thinking of baby names. She and Nathan had just started discussing it, but they hadn't really settled on any. Nathan was still set that it was a girl, but was still completely unhelpful in the name department. She began mulling over some names for both boys and girls, just in case. She liked Lea or Michelle for a girl, but she also liked Ryder or Alex for a boy. Before she knew it, as she continued to mull names over in her head, she was at the front door.

Kicking the snow off her boots, she unlocked the door and walked inside. It was still quite cold inside, as the cold had finally settled in the area. She quickly went over to the fireplace and lit a fire. That should warm the house up a bit. As the flames began to slowly flicker before her, she rubbed her hands in front of her towards the growing fire, warming her. She walked back over to the door and took off her coat and scarf, placing the items in their usual places. Meandering to the couch, she began kicking off her boots, listening to the crackle of the fire.

Looking up at the clock, she knew that if he did come, he wouldn't be there for another twenty or thirty minutes. She began to hope that he wouldn't come, that he'd forget about the whole thing and just wouldn't show up. But she knew better. She knew he would. He always did. She recollected a time when she was younger, and he was in a similar situation with some people he'd borrowed money from. He'd come crawling to her mother for the money. She didn't have it, she struggled just to make ends meet with Molly and her brothers. But that wasn't what he'd wanted to hear. He'd been all syrupy sweet, like he had yesterday, when he'd asked her. But the minute she said no, his temper flared. He'd set into beating her, and Molly had stepped in to break the fight up, which in turn meant that she got the brunt end of it.

Molly closed her eyes and sighed at the memory. Her poor mother, god rest her soul. She'd passed away a few years ago, not too terribly long after she and Nathan had wed. Nathan had been there at the funeral with her. Her brothers hadn't shown, not that it had surprised her. As soon as they'd been old enough, they'd done the same thing Molly had done, and got as far from that place as they could get. They still wrote her on a regular occasion, and had even visited her and Nathan once or twice, but they hadn't wanted to attend their mother's funeral. They'd been afraid their father would show up, and they hadn't wanted to deal with him. Molly had been afraid at first that he would too, but she knew he wouldn't. If it didn't make a profit for him, he wouldn't bother.

Molly shook her head, trying to push away the memories. Nathan would be working late again that night, which would mean that he would likely be starving by the time he got home. Molly decided, as she headed to the kitchen, that she would start preparing dinner for the two of them. She, herself, was craving something cheesy once again, so she decided that she would make them a nice lasagna. Grabbing ingredients from the cabinets, she began tossing things into the mixing bowl, and set about making one. Nathan had given her a really good recipe for an extra cheesy cheese lasagna, and she drooled slightly at the thought, pulling out a baking pan. Nathan really was the excellent cook, and he'd taught Molly a thing or two about cooking. She'd even fancy to say that she had gotten quite good. She was still nowhere near Nathan's level, but she was getting better by the day.

Once she was satisfied with her work, she delicately placed her lasagna in the baking pan, and set it in the oven. Setting the oven temperature and timer, she sighed and went about cleaning up the mess she'd made in the kitchen. Nathan had seemed to master the art of cooking in the kitchen without making a mess, while Molly hadn't quite gotten there yet. Nathan would always joke with her, saying that her food should be spectacular from the amount of mess she would seem to create while making it.

As she tossed some of the trash into the trash bin, she heard the front door shut loudly and jumped in surprise. The automatic first thought that came into her mind was that she had forgotten to lock the door when she'd come in. It had completely slipped her mind. And she now immensely regretted forgetting the small task as she turned around to see her father standing before her, the front door shut firmly behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello there pumpkin." Her father said, his voice low as he cracked a crooked smile at her.

Swallowing she back herself up against the counter. "Hello."

"Where's my money? I told you that I'd be by today to get it."

Molly nodded, holding up a shaking finger to him. "I have it in here just hold on a minute."

She quickly made her way into the bedroom and crouched down by the bed. She felt around under the bed until she felt the small box, and pulled it forward. She emptied its contents into her hand, still shaking slightly. Taking a quick breath, she stood back up and entered the living room again, where her father stood. He had his arms folded across his chest, his expression annoyed, as if this whole ordeal was somehow inconveniencing him.

She stuck the money out at him, trying to keep as far away from him as she could. He snatched the money from her hand, walking off to the corner to count the bills she'd handed him. She quickly walked behind the counter, instinctively keeping as much distance from him as possible. His hands quickly pawed through the money, and he turned around to look at her.

She pointed at the door. "You have your money, now get out. And don't come back."

Her father raised an eyebrow at her, and then laughed. "You think you can talk to your old man like that?" He took a looming step towards her.

"Please just…"

"Who the hell gave you the right to talk to your father that way? You think you're special or something?"

"Please, just leave. You have your money."

Her father narrowed his eyes at her, and stepped closer to her, so they were opposite each other at the counter. "What? This money? This isn't enough to even last me a day, the hell you think you were doing, cheating your old man?"

"It's… it's all I have. Our agreement was that I give you what I have, and you would leave."

"Not for this amount of money. You're gonna have to do better than this here sweetheart." He replied coolly, walking around the counter towards her.

She countered his movements by backing away from him. Her daggers were all the way on the other side of the living room, the only thing she had nearby to defend herself was the kitchen knife, which was now closer to him than it was to her. She cursed herself for being so stupid as to not think to keep her daggers close by. Nathan had given her a special pair of daggers, after their encounter with Gin. She was quite good with them now, but they would do her no good all the way across the cabin. That should have been the first thing she grabbed when she knew her father would be returning that day, but no, the thought had completely slipped her mind. She'd still held out some hope that he would just take the money and go, but she should have known better. He always wanted more.

The two of them continued to circle the counter, as Molly tried to remain out of his grasp. "I really don't have any more money. That's all I have."

"Well then you're going to have to figure out a way to get some more won't you?" Her father snarled, his eyes looking wild as he quickened his pace. He quickly leapt forward, over the counter and grabbed her by her wrist. She tried to yank her arm from his grasp, but he quickly came around the counter, and grabbing her roughly by her shoulders.

"How do you expect me to get more money?" She said as she struggled in his grasp.

Quickly bringing his arm around, he slapped her hard across the face, enough to cause her to see stars. The offended eye and cheek throbbed painfully, as he brought her up again to slap her once more. She knew it was 'punishment' for questioning him, but she no longer cared. As he slapped her again and again across the face, she no longer cared how afraid she'd been of him. That was long gone. She was now mad as a hatter, and she brought her knee up and kneed him in the stomach.

He released her as he grabbed his stomach, the air effectively rushing out of him. She quickly ran around him, sliding around on the kitchen floor as she made her way towards one of the chopping knives she'd left out. But he recovered more quickly than she'd expected, and he grabbed her arm again. Twisting her arm around, he slammed her face down into the counter. She screamed as he held her face down to the counter, struggling against his grip.

"Please, don't, please." She begged.

"You need to learn to be more respectful of your father. You asked for this you know." He growled as he lifted her head up, just to slam it down against the hard counter once again. She cried out from the pain, and felt tears strain against her eyes as he held her head down.

"You think I'm scared of you old man?" She growled up at him.

The grip on her head tightened. "The hell did you just say?"

"You heard me. You think you're some hot shot by beating up a pregnant woman? I'm not afraid of you anymore." She shot back.

He picked her head up off the counter, and shoved her, sending her to the floor. She landed on her bottom, and slid back on the slick kitchen floor until she slammed up against the wall. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and she coughed as she fought for air. Her father slowly walked over to her, crouching down in front of her. He grabbed her hair and held her head up, so she was looking at his face.

The same twisted smile returned to his face as he looked down at her. "You should be."

He released her hair and stood back up, walking towards the counter. She coughed again as he picked something up off the counter, to which she realized was the kitchen knife she'd been going for earlier. He twisted the knife around in his hand as he looked down at her, smiling sadistically. Too weak to stand up to run away, she felt the tears trail down her face. She closed her eyes, just waiting for what happened next.

As she heard him walking towards her, she heard as something flew across the room. It wasn't very loud, but was quick, as if something was spinning across the room. She heard her father scream, and heard something clatter to the floor. Quickly opening her eyes back up, she saw her father pinned to the wall, one of her daggers in his arm. He whimpered as he pulled, unsuccessfully, at the dagger.

Molly weakly looked up, in the direction of where the dagger had come from. Nathan stepped forward, his eyes wild and angry as he stepped into view.

"The only one who should be afraid right now, is you old man." Nathan snarled angrily as he held his sickle and chain in his other hand.


	6. Chapter 6

"Nathan…" Molly croaked as she sat back against the wall, looking up at her husband. Nathan's expression was dark, and grew even darker and angrier as he looked over at Molly on the floor. Her face was bruised and her left eye was pretty well swelled up, tears stained her face as she looked up at him. Nathan felt a sudden surge of unexplainable rage as he looked at the whimpering man in front of him. He hadn't the slightest idea who this person was, but he didn't care. All he knew was that he'd hurt Molly, and now he was going to have to pay for that.

Following in quickly as Nathan made his way across the room, Christopher and Thomas came in behind him. As Christopher went over to Molly and stooped down to check on her, Thomas ran over to Nathan. Nathan was about to take his sickle and finish off the pathetic looking man, but Thomas grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Eduardo and Russell shortly rushed through the door and were helping Thomas keep Nathan from ripping the man to shreds.

"What happened in here?" Eduardo demanded, as he struggled to keep Nathan from shoving forward and attacking the man.

Christopher looked up at them as he helped Molly stand. "I saw someone come down from up here yesterday, but Molly just said he was some sort of sales man so I didn't really think anything of it. But when I was closing up the clinic earlier and I saw that same guy walking back up to the clinic, Thomas and I went down to talk to Nathan. He said Molly hadn't said anything about it to him yesterday, so we knew something else was going on."

"She's pregnant you sick bastard." Nathan growled as the crew held him back.

Christopher quickly gathered up the medical bag that he'd had with him, and grabbed his stethoscope out. He pressed it quickly to her belly, and listened intently for a few moments. Molly held her breath as he moved the instrument around gently across her belly. The whole room seemed to still, everyone seemingly holding their breath as Christopher inspected. With a sigh of relief, he smiled and nodded to her. Molly exhaled noisily as he looked over at Nathan, who Molly realized had been looking over at them as Christopher had checked her belly. His eyes met Christopher's, his expression almost terrified looking, but immediately relaxed when Christopher smiled and nodded at him. The baby was fine.

Russell released Nathan and went forward towards the struggling man, who was now begging for someone to take the dagger out of his arm. Russell grabbed the dagger and roughly yanked it from his arm. Molly's father howled in pain and grabbed at his arm as Russell grabbed him up by the collar of his shirt, preventing him from leaving. Christopher pulled a chair up and sat Molly down in it as he inspected her wounds.

"Molly who is this man? What's going on?" Christopher asked gently as he began wiping some of the blood from a cut on her forehead away.

Molly sighed, closing her eyes. "He's… he's my father."

Nathan instantly stopped and turned to look at Molly. "What?"

"He's my father Nate." She replied shyly, her tone sounding ashamed.

"Your father did this to you?" Thomas asked, his voice quiet.

When Molly nodded gently, Nathan tore free from the guys and grabbed her father up by the front of his shirt. Russell released his hold on her father, and Nathan flew forward and the two crashed into the wall, as Nathan pinned him up by the throat. Her father struggled against Nathan, but whatever strength Nathan was using against him, rendered him completely immobile. Molly watched in slight awe as her husband kept her father pinned to the wall, looking as if it was the easiest thing in the world. The rest of the guys didn't go forward to stop him, but instead stood next to Molly as Christopher tended to her wounds.

"So this is your father huh?" Nathan growled, pressing his forearm into her father's throat.

"Please…" Her father choked out as he clawed against Nathan.

"You don't get to talk here. Molly told me about what you did to her growing up, everything. Then you have the audacity to show up here, for god knows what, and put your hands on her again? Who the fuck do you think you are?" Nathan snarled.

"Why did he come here Molly?" Russell asked her, his eyes trained on the two men. Molly looked down at the ground, feeling so ashamed of the whole situation, and the fact that all the guys were now involved. She went to cover her face with her hands, but Christopher held her hand, preventing her. He smiled encouragingly at her as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"It's ok Molly. He's not going to hurt you anymore. You can tell us."

Molly swallowed thickly. "He… he needed… money…"

"Money?!" Nathan bellowed, slamming her father into the wall. Molly looked up as Nathan sent his fist into her father's face, watching as drops of blood poured from her father's nose.

"You show up here demanding money from my pregnant wife, and then you _hurt_ her like this?"

Her father, despite his position, just couldn't seem to help himself as he replied. "She… asked… for it." Nathan seemed taken aback by the comment for a brief moment, before lifting his sickle up and pressing it against his neck.

"And now you're asking for it you sick asshole." Nathan seethed.

Eduardo stepped forward, putting a hand gently on Nathan's shoulder. "Nathan, he's not even worth it." Nathan remained motionless, continuing to press his sickle against Molly's father's throat. Blood trickled down from where Nathan pressed the sickle up against his throat, seemingly nicking his skin.

"Russell, take this man away from me or I swear to you that I will kill him." Nathan snarled finally, shoving her father towards Russell.

Russell grabbed the man up and nodded at Nathan. "I'll take him down to the police station."

"I'll go with you." Eduardo said, following after Russell as he yanked Molly's father across the room. The three men exited the cabin, slamming the door closed behind them. Nathan remained standing, facing the wall, for a few moments before Christopher stood.

"She seems to be alright. She'll have some nasty bruises for sure, but nothing she can't handle. I'll leave her to you then." Christopher said, turning to leave, ushering Thomas along with him.

"Thank you Christopher." Nathan said quietly, his face still turned towards the wall.

Christopher looked over and nodded at Molly, then him and Thomas quickly left, leaving her and Nathan alone. The room was so quiet then that Molly felt awkward. She didn't know what to say to Nathan, and since he was still facing away from her, she wasn't sure what she should say. His fists were clenched at his sides, and Molly knew that he was still angry. She knew he'd likely be furious with her, so she remained quiet. She placed her head in her hands, and leaned forward in the chair, resting her elbows on her knees.

Footsteps echoed in front of her, but Molly kept her head in her hands. She was afraid to look at him. Afraid of what he would say to her. She felt him crouching down in front of her, but still wouldn't look. She fought back another sob, refusing to cry anymore. She'd cried enough about this whole mess the past few days, and she wasn't going to cry about it anymore. She squeezed her eyes shut to ensure that no more tears were going to leak out. She felt as Nathan gently grabbed her arms, and moved them away from her face. She resisted at first, but slowly gave in as she allowed him to see her face. Nibbling on her lip, she let out a breath as she opened her eyes to look at him. He released one of her arms and brought his hand up, tenderly rubbing her cheek with his thumb as he looked up gently at her.

She attempted to smile at him, to reassure him that she was fine, but failed miserably when she felt a tear trail down her cheek, despite her best efforts to restrain it. He then bent forward and scooped her up into his arms. She didn't protest as he slowly carried her into their bedroom, cradling her against him. She quietly clenched part of his shirt in her hands, pressing her face into his chest as he slowly walked towards the bed. He sat down on the bed, and scooted back, so that she was rested firmly in his lap up against him. He wrapped his arms around her, not uttering a word as he held her quietly. They remained quiet for several long moments, as Molly continued to try to fight the urge to burst into tears again.

Finally, Nathan spoke, the vibration of his voice echoing throughout his chest. "Tell me what happened. All of it."

Molly licked her lips. "Well… he showed up here yesterday… out of the blue. Well, I mean, he had been the one who had been writing me, but I threw away all of his letters. He showed up and was at first real pleasant… but that changed really quickly, and he said he needed money. He told me that he'd be back today to get it from me… but it wasn't enough for him… so he started hitting me."

Nathan nodded slowly, his body shaking as he held her to him. "Why… why didn't you tell me?"

She shook her head. "He threatened me. I just got some of the money I've been saving away for a rainy day. I thought that maybe if I gave that to him, he'd finally just leave me alone… but I was wrong."

Nathan reached forward with one arm, and tilted her head to look up at him. "You still should have told me."

"I know. I just didn't want him to hurt you, or the baby."

"He threatened the baby?"

Molly nodded gently. "In so many words, yeah."

Nathan closed his eyes and muttered a curse under his breath. He then pressed a kiss firmly against her forehead. "I'm so sorry honey that you had to go through that by yourself."

"It's not like I haven't done it before." She replied simply, causing Nathan's heart to ache.

Although he wanted to scold her for not telling him what was going on, so he could have done something to have prevented this, he knew she never would have. She'd dealt with her father for so long, that she didn't know how to rely on other people when it came to him. She'd dealt with him all on her own when she was growing up, so she didn't know how to get help about it. She'd been so afraid of him for so long, afraid of him hurting someone else, that she just took it. Nathan's heart continued to ache as he shook holding his wife to him. She was so much stronger than she'd ever know, and Nathan wished she'd only realize that. She used to complain to him that she felt that she was always a burden in some way to him, always needing to be saved. But what she didn't realize was that even if he had to help her in the end, she'd gone into this whole ordeal with her father knowing that he might hurt her, but she did it anyway to protect Nathan and their unborn child.

He pressed a kiss to her lips gently. "You don't have to worry about him ever again honey. Not ever. I won't let him hurt you ever again, you understand me?"

Molly smiled wetly up at him. "Yeah, I do."

"I love you so much Molly."

"I love you too Nate." She replied, her voice quiet as she looked up at him. She rested her head back against his chest, and it didn't take very long for her breathing to become ragged, and Nathan knew she'd fallen asleep. He pressed another kiss to her forehead, and reached down to rub her belly, feeling their child underneath. He smiled weakly as he snuggled down, and slowly fell asleep, with Molly in his arms.


	7. Chapter 7

"This was a really good idea." Molly whispered lazily, snuggling against Nathan.

"Yeah, it was." Nathan sighed.

That morning, Molly's face was still pretty well bruised and battered, but the swelling had reduced considerably. Nathan had gotten up several times in the night to get a cold pack to press to her face while she slept. He'd fallen asleep with her in his arms, but he didn't sleep much. He'd had a nightmare, about what had happened to Molly when he wasn't there, and he found himself unable to go back to sleep. Without waking her, he'd kept the pack against her injured face, watching her sleep peacefully for a while. But she too didn't sleep very well, and had also awoken from a nightmare.

After the incident with Molly's father, Nathan had decided to take an extra day off, to extend their three day weekend into a four day one. Although her father had been locked in the local jail, Nathan hadn't wanted to leave her side. Once he was satisfied that she was alright that morning, Nathan had run down to the restaurant to tell them that he was going to take that day off as well. Most of the guys there had already heard about what had happened to Molly, and had gladly told him to return home to her. One of his chefs had even sent him back with some of the chicken that Molly had liked so much.

Once returning, Nathan had Molly settle in on the couch in their living room. Molly had been ecstatic about her chicken, and told Nathan to thank his chef for it when he did return back to work. Nathan had put it in the refrigerator, so she could have it for lunch, and had returned to the living room. Nathan had lit a fire in the fireplace, and settled onto the couch next to her, wrapping a blanket around the both of them. They'd snuggled in and held each other, as they had all night, listening to the fire crackle in front of them.

Nathan moved his hand around and placed it on her belly. "And how's the little one this morning?"

Molly smiled. "Still as rambunctious as usual."

"That's my girl."

Molly giggled. "You're still under the impression that it's a girl?"

"I have no doubt." Nathan replied, smiling down at her.

"We have to talk about names here soon. It's getting close to time you know."

Nathan chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I haven't really come up with anything though."

"I've thought of a few."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Ya have, have ya?"

Molly nodded. "Would you like to hear them?"

"Of course."

"Well, if it's a boy, I liked Ryder or Alex. And I also liked Lea or Michelle if it's a girl."

Nathan nodded. "I like them. Wasn't Lea your mother's name?"

Molly smiled sadly. "Yes."

"Then we'll name her Lea."

Molly giggled. "And if it is a boy?"

Nathan sighed. "I like either if it's a boy, but I'm telling you it's a girl."

"Well I think it is a boy."

Nathan chuckled. "How much you want to bet on it?"

"You want to place money on what gender our first child is?" Molly asked, sounding offended.

"I was… I was just kidding Molly… I'm sorry if…" Nathan started.

"Aw I'm just teasing with you," Molly interrupted, "I'll bet you fifteen gold pieces that it's a boy."

Nathan laughed, and then whistled low. "That's a pretty confident bet."

"I'm confident that I'm right."

Nathan smirked. "Alright, fifteen gold pieces it is. You win if it's a boy, and I win if it's a girl."

"Deal." Molly said, leaning back and pressing a kiss to Nathan's lips.

Nathan raised an eyebrow as she intensified their kiss by grabbing the side of his face, and bringing it down further towards hers. She nibbled on his lower lip, and Nathan felt a shiver run down his spine. She released his mouth long enough to string hot kisses down his throat, to the spot at the base that caused him to groan low in his throat. Even with the simplest of moves, she always seemed to know what undo him, causing him to be putty in her hands. He pulled her mouth back up to his and breeched her lips, sweeping his tongue into her mouth. She moaned against him, her tongue dueling with his as desire stirred heavily in both of them.

Underneath the blanket, Nathan's hand snaked up to cup her breast, feeling as Molly arched up into his hand. She whispered sweet words against his lips as his other hand went to trace a finger down her belly. After everything she'd gone through yesterday, this was going to be about her today. He was going to wipe all the fear from her mind, and bring her nothing but pleasure now. His fingers moved down her body, and underneath the fabric of her undergarments, touching the very core of her. Lord he'd barely touched her and she was already this wet for him. Nathan groaned low in his throat as he went to press a kiss against her neck. Molly moaned again, and bit her lower lip as he touched her.

"_Nathan_." She groaned as he skillfully stroked her moist flesh.

"Yes love?" He asked, his voice teasing as he found the point of her desire. She grabbed his arm with her hand and gasped as he teased her with his fingers. Anything she had further wanted to say to him stopped as his fingers began to work her. Nathan reveled in the sounds that escaped her lips as he continued to pleasure her. Her legs had spread, and she ground herself shamelessly against his hand while Nathan nibbled at her earlobe.

His fingers pumped in and out of her, as his thumb worked her nub. He knew her body well enough at this point to know exactly where to touch her to bring her the ultimate pleasure. And his efforts proved correct when her hand squeezed against his arm, and she arched her body up. She cried out in completion and held herself up as she rode out the pleasure. Nathan smiled in satisfaction at having given this to her, hearing her whisper his name incoherently as her body trembled against his. She slowly collapsed against him, sighing contently. She swallowed thickly and looked back at him, smiling languidly.

"Your turn here soon sir." She said quietly.

Nathan shook his head, pressing a kiss to her nose. "Maybe later love, this one was for you."

She sighed again. "God love ya Nate." Nathan chuckled as he snuggled her back against him. A few moments later, he felt her breathing deeply, as she drifted off to sleep. She hadn't slept much that night either, and Nathan hoped that she wouldn't have another nightmare. It wasn't good for her not to get much sleep, especially now that she was pregnant.

A knock sounded from the front door, and Nathan turned his head. He wasn't expecting anyone, and thought it probably was a salesperson. They always loved coming up here to harass them this time of the year. He remained quiet and closed his eyes, continuing to hold Molly against him. He sat back for a moment longer before another knock came, and cursed quietly. Carefully, he managed to maneuver Molly off of him without waking her. He tucked her in on the couch and quietly made his way to the front door, wiping his hand on his pants.

He unlocked the door and opened it just enough for him to peer outside. Eduardo stood outside, and Nathan groaned, opening the door further to let him in. Eduardo stomped his boots on the front stoop before walking in. Nathan motioned for him to remain quiet, and Eduardo peered around the corner at the sleeping Molly, peacefully dozing.

"What are you doing here?" Nathan asked, his voice quiet.

"He's gone."

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "Who's gone?"

"Molly's father. He's gone."

"What the hell do you mean he's gone?" Nathan whispered fiercely.

"I mean, he broke out of jail earlier today and no one has been able to find him since."


	8. Chapter 8

"What happened?" Nathan demanded.

"All they would tell me is that he somehow managed to slip past the guard, and left. They sent out some of their men out to look for him, but haven't turned up anything."

"Where the hell would he go?"

Eduardo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know man. I just thought I'd come up here and warn you. I don't know if he's going to come back here again or not, but at least this way you'll know to watch out for him."

"He won't come back here." Molly's voice called from the living room. Nathan turned around as Molly slowly walked over to the two men, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"How can you be so sure?" Eduardo asked.

Molly sighed, leaning against Nathan. "Because I know him. Now that he knows that I have all of you around here watching after me, he won't come near this place. He only comes around when he knows that you have no one else around to defend you, and he know he can get away with it. He probably ran off with his tail tucked firmly between his legs."

Nathan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I still want to be sure. You're not going to leave my sight until we're sure he's gone."

Molly laughed, walking into the kitchen to retrieve her chicken from the refrigerator. "I'm telling you, he's long gone by now. You can go check down at the port, I'd be willing to bet you that one of their smaller boats is missing."

Eduardo nodded. "I'll go check now." He turned and exited just as quickly as he came, leaving Nathan staring after Molly.

He followed after her in the kitchen. "Again, how would you know that Molly? You don't think he'd want to stick around and try again later?"

Molly had grabbed a fork and was digging into her chicken, and spoke in between bites. "The last time I saw my father, it was actually not too long before I came onto the Sirius. He'd come after my mother, wanting money or something, I don't know. But this time she had one of her friends around. He was a naval officer who had just come into port after having been stationed away for a couple of years, and had wanted to stop by and see my mother. Let's just say my father disappeared pretty quickly, and never bothered my mother again."

"That was a long time ago, and besides, he came back for you now, didn't he? What makes you think that he'll still do that now?"

"Honey, I lived with that man for years. I know how he is. He likes to pick on people he thinks are weaker than he is. It was why he was able to get away with so much crap with my mother. She was half his size, so he knew he could bully her all he wanted without much retaliation. Same with me. He's bigger than I am, so he thought he could do the same. However, his one mistake was not asking me whether I was married to a big strong pirate like yourself."

Nathan folded his arms across his chest. "He didn't know you're married? You've got the ring on your finger, and you're pregnant for god's sake. How'd he think you ended up like that? The stork?"

Molly giggled. "No. He didn't see my wedding ring because I hid it from him. Thought I'd try to keep you as far out of that situation if I could help it, not that it ended up working out like that in the end. And he saw that I was pregnant, but thought I'd just gotten 'knocked up by some poor bastard', as he put it."

Nathan swallowed and hissed a breath out, thinking about how much he'd love to pummel that man again. "He implied you were a whore."

Molly shrugged. "Yeah I guess that's what he meant, I don't know." She took another bite without a second thought.

"That bastard does this to you, and he has the balls to imply you're some sort of whore on top of it? Well he better not show up here again, if he wants to keep all of his limbs attached to his body." Nathan growled, looking down at the ground.

Molly laughed. "Calm down would you? It wouldn't be the first time he's implied it. I've just learned to ignore what things he's said to me, because getting upset about it is just exactly what he would want. Besides, I'd forgiven him of everything he's done to me and my family a long time ago."

Nathan chuckled low as he slowly made his way around the counter to her. "You know, you're a hell of a lot of a better person than I am."

Molly placed her plate in the sink, then went over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're a good person Nate. You love me, and protect me no matter what it costs you. I'd say that qualifies you as a pretty good person. Don't you think?"

Nathan leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "I just still don't get you. He comes back, and does this to you, and you forgive him right off the bat?"

"Forgiveness isn't for the other person Nate. It's for yourself. I learned that one a long time ago. If I held onto all of that hate and resentment I felt towards him, it would just consume me. And he's not worth the energy to be quite frank."

Nathan smiled, and kissed her lips gently. "What would I ever do without you Molly?"

"Probably around the same thing that I would do if something ever happened to you." She replied gently.

Several hours later, Eduardo had returned and had told them that one of the smaller fishing boats was missing. According to the descriptions given by the people whose fishing boat was missing, a man matching her father's description had been seen taking the boat out of the port. Molly had been right. Upon hearing the news, Nathan had relaxed almost immediately. Although he still wanted to keep a watch out, just in case he ever returned, he felt better knowing that he was gone for the time being.

Once Eduardo had left, Molly had then started in on wanting to prepare for the baby. The baby's room wasn't quite finished yet, and she wanted her and Nathan to start in on it while they had some time to themselves. And now that the pressure of having her father still lurking about was gone, they could enjoy their time making all the necessary preparations for the baby. After all, her due date was just around the corner.


	9. Chapter 9

Nathan stood behind the counter, chopping up the last of the vegetables for the last stew he was preparing for the day. The hustle and bustle of the restaurant's kitchen buzzing all around him, the aroma of the kitchen filling the air. It had been a few months since Molly's father had disappeared, and he hadn't been seen since. Nathan was thankful for that. He'd been extremely wary of his return at any time, and had spent many sleepless nights over it. But Molly had been right after all, he'd not come back.

Returning back to work had been hard on Nathan, as he had wanted to spend more time at home with Molly, especially with her due date coming up so quickly. She'd blossomed during the past few months, growing a quite respectable baby bump. She even developed a slight waddle to maneuver her way about the house, which she said she was embarrassed about, but Nathan found adorable. But with the restaurant still in full swing, he of course had to return back.

Molly had insisted upon continuing to work at the clinic up until the point where she was in labor. Nathan hadn't liked the idea, wanting her to rest at home as much as possible, but of course Molly wouldn't hear anything of it. She'd said that she would die of boredom just sitting around the house all day, and would rather be around the clinic while she could. One argument he had at least won was having Christopher and Thomas walk up to the house with her, to make sure she got in all right. Especially after the whole incident with her father, Nathan didn't want her walking home by herself when he couldn't walk with her.

It was around closing time now, and Nathan began to prepare for closing. As Nathan looked up at the clock, he knew that Molly would be heading home by now, and wished he could go ahead and leave so he could walk with her back home. But as head chef and owner, he had to stay until closing. The waiter took out the last servings of the stew for the day, for the last of the customers who lingered around for seconds of the stew.

Nathan began wiping the counters up, cleaning behind himself when one of the other chefs walked up next to him, helping him clean. "So, how's Molly doing?"

Nathan smiled. "She's doing really well. Probably heading home from the clinic right about now."

"How much longer?"

"Doc said any time now. Will probably have to take some time off from here when that time comes though."

The chef, Jerry, whom Nathan had gotten quite close to since he'd opened the restaurant, smiled at Nathan and patted him on the back. "Take all the time you need. I have a few children of my own, but I remember the first one, not knowing what the hell you're doing but trying your best anyway."

Nathan chuckled. "Does it get easier?"

Jerry laughed. "Nope. But you get used to it." The two laughed, and Jerry patted Nathan on the back again before turning to clean the other side of the counter. As Nathan tossed one of the used rags in the sink, the back door burst open. Nathan spun about and saw Russell panting heavily, standing in the doorway.

"Russell? What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" Nathan asked, stepping towards him.

Russell nodded, panting so hard that it took him a moment to answer. "Molly… she's…"

"She's what?" Nathan asked, now worried.

Russell swallowed. "Labor… she's in… labor!"

Nathan's eyes widened as he quickly ran to grab his things. Panic slammed into him as he scurried about the kitchen, gathering his things as if he'd completely forgotten where they were. Jerry, who had heard the whole thing, tossed Nathan his remaining items.

"Go! I'll close up here, go!" Jerry called as Russell and Nathan tore out the back door.

"Where is she?" Nathan called over to Russell as they ran through town.

"Your house. She went into labor as Christopher and Thomas were walking her home." Russell answered.

Nathan quickened their pace, heading towards the cabin. He cursed himself for not being there for her when she needed him like this, but hurried home as fast as his legs could carry him. It snowed lightly as they ran up the hill towards the cabin, slowing them down slightly as the road slickened. Of all the days for it to snow, Nathan thought, it had to be today.

Tearing through the snow, they finally made it up across the hill, and towards the cabin. Only briefly did Nathan shake the snow off his boots, and all but threw his coat away as he tore into the front door. The sounds of a baby crying stopped him dead in his tracks, and he looked into the living room, where Thomas sat on the couch, holding a tiny bundle in his arms. Thomas looked up at him and smiled, standing upon his and Russell's entrance. The tiny baby in Thomas's arms ceased its crying upon looking up at Nathan, and cooed.

A tear fell down Nathan's cheek as he looked up at Thomas, smiling. "What is it?"

Thomas handed the tiny baby over to Nathan carefully. "It's a boy."

Nathan looked down at the beautiful baby in his arms, and felt his heart melt in his chest. He had a son. Nathan choked down a sob as he beamed down at his son lying in his arms. He laughed wetly as he looked up at Thomas and Russell, who were watching him with smiles on their faces.

"I have a son." Nathan whispered.

"Congratulations." Russell said, gently patting Nathan on the back.

Nathan laughed wetly again. "Looks like I owe Molly fifty gold pieces after all."

"Actually," Christopher's voice sounded, coming from Nathan and Molly's bedroom, "you owe her one hundred gold pieces." As Nathan tore his eyes from the baby in his arms to look up at Christopher, to ask him what he meant by that, his eyes widened and he held his breath. Christopher walked towards Nathan with another small bundle in his arms, cooing quietly. Nathan looked over at his other child, lying quietly in Christopher's arms, and he let the tears that had been straining against his eyes out. Nathan laughed, gently touching his other sons arms with his other free hand.

"Twins?" Nathan gasped.

Christopher nodded. "Twin boys."

"Molly? Is she…?"

Christopher smiled. "She did beautifully. It was a rather quick delivery, especially for twins. She wants to see you now." Christopher led the way back towards the bedroom, as Nathan followed after him, still holding one of his sons in his arms, stupefied. Molly was propped up in their bed, looking rather exhausted. She smiled at Nathan as he came over and gently sat down next to her. Christopher handed their other son over to Molly, and backed away.

"I'll let you two have a moment." He said quietly, closing the door behind him.

Nathan leaned forward and pressed feverish kisses to Molly's lips as he laughed in joy. She returned his kisses, and laughed with him as they both looked down at their twin boys. He'd never been happier in his entire life, and he couldn't help but show it. This beautiful woman had given him the best gift of all, and had given him two of them. They were so beautiful that Nathan couldn't help but stare down at the both of them.

"Molly I'm sorry I wasn't here." Nathan whispered quietly.

She smiled at him. "It was so quick, I'd have been surprised if you had made it here in time. But you're here now, and that's what matters."

"They're so beautiful Molly."

Molly giggled. "I know. Our handsome little boys."

Nathan laughed. "Well I guess I owe you a hundred gold pieces."

"You certainly do sir."

"Twins…"

"I know. Shocked me too. I had no idea."

Nathan kissed both boys gently on the forehead. "What are we going to call them?"

"Well I thought about Ryder and Alex."

Nathan nodded. "I like it. Which one will be which?"

Molly pointed to the baby in Nathan's arms. "That one will be Alex, and this one in my arms will be Ryder."

"It's perfect."

Molly leaned forward and kissed Nathan. "Alex has your eyes."

Nathan smiled. "And Ryder has yours."

"God Nathan I'm so happy right now."

"So am I Moll. You make me the happiest man on earth, and you've given me so much in my life, and now you've given me twin boys. I love you so much."

Molly smiled. "I love you too Nathan."


	10. Authors Final Note

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading, I hope you all enjoyed this story! Unfortunately, this will be the last of this story line with Nathan and Molly, but be sure to look out for my other stories. I'm going to be finishing up soon with my sequel "The Time Has Come", and after that I'm going to be starting a whole new series. **

**I have a poll up on my page so you can vote on who I will write a new story for. You can vote for characters I have already written stories for, but keep in mind that their stories will be completely different this time. **

**Thank you again for all of your support for this series, and thank you all so much for the wonderful feedback! I truly enjoy writing these stories for you guys, and I hope to continue in the future! **


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